Hogarth’s Bar and Bistro in New Town, which opened in fall 2013, has officially shut its doors for good.
Catherine Upton, co-owner of Hogarth’s and executive director of Williamsburg Area Meals on Wheels, had been running the restaurant with her business partner Chris Hogarth.
However, Hogarth has been dealing with health issues that have left him unable to handle the day-to-day stresses of the restaurant, Upton said.
Stretched thin from running Hogarth’s alone, working with Meals on Wheels and her brainchild, the Community Table Project, Upton decided something had to change.
On Saturday, Upton made the decision to let Hogarth’s go and focus on her other community service projects. On Saturday evening, Upton closed Hogarth’s one final time.
“I can only be pulled in so many places at one time,” she said. “It took a lot of soul searching and my heart is definitely leaning toward my nonprofit and making sure there’s plenty of food in our community.”
Instead of running Hogarth’s, Upton will now turn her attention to locating and filling food gaps within Williamsburg and James City County through programs like Meals on Wheels and the Community Table Project.
However, the Community Table Project, which operated out of Hogarth’s, will now need to find a new home. Upton said the Community Table Project will continue operating while Hogarth’s is closed, but will need to find other locations to work from.
Upton said she does not know for certain where the Community Table Project will operate, but hopes others in the community will step up and house the program.
“I’m hoping that we will come together with some other people in the community. Or maybe there will be somebody who donates their kitchen,” she said. “I think we will have a grassroots effort to fill the nutritional needs in the community.”
And while Upton is beyond grateful to be able to still contribute to the community through her nonprofit projects, she said she will miss operating Hogarth’s and interacting with her customers.
She also expressed her gratitude to former customers and business partners who have reached out since Hogarth’s closing.
“I have a grateful heart to the kindness I’ve received,” she said. “Everybody has been very kind to me. I’m sure we’ll all meet up somewhere again.”
